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Judges in the Classroom
Invite a judge from your community to visit your K-12 public school classroom. If your classroom is ready to learn about their government, to have dialogue with a judge about a landmark case, or dive deep into the Rule of Law, submit a request!
Judges will also visit with your students to discuss careers in law, to reenact a case, swear-in your student government, and facilitate a conversation with students about a law-related topic they're studying. These are our most common connections. Present what you'd like in the request form, chances are we'll identify the perfect volunteer for your students.
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How much does this cost?This program is free for all public schools K-12.
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What about charter schools?Yes, our judges visit charter schools, continuation schools, afterschool programs (on a public school campus), credit recovery schools, and juvenile court schools. However, it is up to each court to determine the types of classrooms they visit, and the number of visits they're able to do each year.
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Are there exceptions?You may contact the court directly for special circumstances or events that are outside a public school. Many courts do accept these requests, depending on their resources.
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I submitted a request, now what?All requests are shared with the county court of the school seeking a visit. Some courts review requests on a weekly basis - please be patient. Don't hesitate to send us an email at judicialoutreach@jud.ca.gov if your request hasn't been responded to! Once a match is identified, you will get an email or text message (depending on your preference). Please respond at your earliest convenience. It is important you confirm the date and time quickly, otherwise the resource may be assigned to another request. Courts give one week for teachers to respond before moving on to another match.
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Who do I contact if I have a question or suggestion?Email POD staff at judicialoutreach@jud.ca.gov or call us at 415-865-4546. Thank you!
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I have three classes. Can I request a judge for an assembly?Of course! Our judges support a variety of scenarios, but it depends on the court. Go ahead and submit details in the request form.
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Do you have a list of lessons I can look at and/or use?Lessons are available on the Lessons Library page. You may download and use it for instruction purposes or select one for a Judges in the Classroom visit.
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Where can I find details about the Civic Learning Awards?They currently live on the California Courts Newsroom but will soon move over to the Power of Democracy website.
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I'm registered for Judges in the Classroom. Do I need to register for this website?Yes. Signing up on both is necessary because not everyone joining the site's online community has time to volunteer for classroom visits. It takes less than a minute and we won't pepper you with messages!
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Do teachers request the lesson, or do I choose?We used to ask teachers to select the lesson. Sometimes teachers want lessons focused on topics like voting rights or rule of law. Instead of asking them to rake through our robust lesson library, they're asked to provide some information about the content they seek. All judges should talk to the teacher before making the visit. This helps determine a lesson that is best. Here are some of our most popular lessons, by grade span: Elementary: No Animals Allowed Middle School: No Vehicles Allowed | Voting Rights High School: Voting Rights | Riley v. CA
THERE'S A BUZZ OUT THERE:
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